The present application relates generally to microfluidic devices, and more specifically to the integration of micro- or nanofluidics together with logic and sensing functions on a single substrate.
Microfluidic techniques have been developed for a wide variety of biological engineering applications, though most microfluidic systems exhibit limited functionality. A number of emerging platforms, including capillary driven microfluidics, centrifugal microfluidics, and multiphase microfluidics have the potential to expand the efficacy of microfluidics across a variety of biological engineering applications.
In an example application, microfluidic devices can be used for body fluid diagnostics, including disease detection and health monitoring. The monitoring of glucose levels, for example, can be used to regulate insulin intake. For such an application, the microfluidic devices are advantageously portable and wearable, and comprise a fully-integrated platform that includes, inter alia, fluid handling, sensing and logic capabilities.
Thus, there is a need for economical and robust manufacturing of microfluidic devices.